James W. Jackson

James W. Jackson (1824-24 May 1861) was an ardent secessionist from Alexandria, Virginia who, on 24 May 1861, killed Union officer Elmer E. Ellsworth as he attempted to tear down Jackson's Confederate flag from his inn, thus inflicting the first casualty of the war; Jackson was shot immediately afterward.

Biography
James W. Jackson was born in Alexandria, Virginia in 1824, and he became the proprietor of the Marshall House Inn. In May 1861, as Virginia contemplated secession from the Union, Jackson flew a large Confederate flag from the roof of his house, and the flag was visible from Washington DC. US Army colonel Elmer E. Ellsworth responded by leading the 11th New York Infantry into Alexandria to occupy the city, and Ellsworth and seven soldiers entered the house to tear down the flag. Jackson pretended to be a boarder and led the soldiers up the stairs, where he blasted Colonel Ellsworth with a shotgun, killing him. Jackson was gunned down immediately afterward, and he became a celebrated martyr for the Confederate cause.